Thomas Merton on the Roots of Modern Violence

“There is a pervasive form of modern violence to which the idealist… most easily succumbs – activism and over work. The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence.

 To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence.

 The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his (or her) work… It destroys the fruitfulness of his (or her)… work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes it fruitful.” 

I shared this quote in my recent NHS Success Webinar because it speaks to something many of us feel, but rarely name: the pressure to do more, fix faster, respond quicker.

It’s striking that Merton calls this violence. Not aggression, not tension — but a quiet, internal kind of destruction. A loss of clarity. A breakdown of self.

And yet this overwork is often applauded. It’s seen as commitment. Even leadership.

But what if the real act of leadership is choosing to slow down?
What if, in the midst of urgency, we found the courage to pause and think clearly?

That’s what the Thinking Environment offers: not stillness for its own sake, but space for clarity, insight, and action that arises from reflection — not reactivity.

Merton’s words are a reminder that the quality of our thinking matters. And that how we treat ourselves, and each other, while we’re thinking, matters even more.